Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker

By James Davidson

“Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker” is the ending of a saga that began 42 years ago. The new, and final, installment in the Star Wars saga is supposed to wrap up the third trilogy, as well as mark the end of the Skywalker storyline that started when “Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope” was released in 1977. This movie has been anticipated for years, it might possibly be the most anticipated film ever. With that in mind, I was worried that this movie might not be able to live up to so much hype.

“The Rise of Skywalker” follows Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) as he continues in his rise to the top of the evil Empire, however, a familiar figure mysteriously returns to oppose him. Emperor Palpatine has somehow risen from the dead and plans to return to the head of the Empire. The new and last remaining Jedi, Rey (Daisy Ridley) must oppose Ren and the mysteriously returned Emperor in order to save the Rebellion and keep the Empire from rising back to power in the galaxy.

This film had so much to live up to and so many storylines to wrap up, I didn’t know if it would be able to do it effectively and entertaining enough, as well as make the fanatical following of Star Wars happy. I am a casual Star Wars fan, I enjoy all of the movies and have seen all of them. However, I don’t delve into the lore of the Star Wars universe much more than that.

As a casual fan, I was impressed with the way that this movie gave me exactly what I wanted to see. There was a lot of “fan-service” in the movie, as well as a lot of callbacks to the original trilogy. The movie brought closure to some plotlines that the original movies introduced but didn’t quite finish off.

The issue with this was that the movie tried so hard to give the fans what they wanted, that sometimes it was at the expense of the current storyline and characters. There were a couple things that certain characters did, that didn’t quite make sense in the context of the current movie, but was a callback to the original trilogy. There wasn’t anything wrong with that necessarily. I definitely appreciated it and loved the nostalgia that it brought to me, but I think some things could have happened differently that would have made more sense in the context of this film and the new characters in this trilogy.

While this movie could have done things a little differently, I certainly enjoyed myself while watching it. It did a great job paying homage to a saga that has transversed generations. I thought that the fan-service was certainly warranted and think the movie did an amazing job wrapping up a much beloved saga.

The problem with Star Wars, is that it is so beloved, that no matter what this movie was it couldn’t have made everyone happy. There would always be some faction of fans that wanted some part of the story to have a different ending, or some character to end up with a different outcome. I think this movie did a great job at compromising for everyone and giving the new characters and the beloved older characters great closure and great endings.

This movie is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. Other than some fight scenes and a few scary images, I think this movie is appropriate for any aged Star Wars fan. If you have enjoyed the original movies, or any of the installments in this new trilogy, this ending is a must see for any fan.

“Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker” holds the impossible job of wrapping up perhaps the most beloved movie franchise in history. It might try to shoehorn some storylines or characters into this movie in the name of fan-service; but, I think that it is entirely forgivable and definitely a must see for any Star Wars fan, casual or otherwise. I will definitely be watching this movie again and will be proud to add it to my Star Wars collection. It earns 4 out of 5 stars (wars).